The American Locomotive Company

The American Locomotive Company. . , In 1901, the Schenectady Locomotive Works, manufacturer of steam locomotives since 1848, merged with seven smaller companies (including Brooks Locomotive Works and Richmond Locomotive Works) to form ALCO, the American Locomotive Company headquartered in Schenectady, New York. Within four years it had added the Montreal Locomotive Works (1904) and Rogers Locomotive Works in 1905 to make it second only to Baldwin as the world's largest maker of steam locomotives., The success of ALCO and General Electric Company, the leading manufacturer of turbines and electrical equipment, resulted in an employment boom in Schenectady, whose population more than doubled from 31,000 in 1900 to 72,826 by 1910. Many of the city's workers were employed at one of the two giant plants., As the world's second largest manufacturer of steam locomotives, ALCO invested in diesel electric technology. Partnering with General Electric and Ingersoll Rand, ALCO built the first diesel electric locomotives in 1924. Another ALCO division built diesel passenger engines, which it manufactured for the New York Central Railroad in 1928. By the 1940s, ALCO had captured 40% of the diesel locomotive market., Competition and falling sales led ALCO to diversify into products such as nuclear plant components and oil drilling equipment, but its financial position continued to weaken. Declining profits forced its sale to Worthington in 1964 and ended its operations in 1969. One of its subsidiaries, ALCO Engines, continued production of diesel engines through 1979., Left: A plaque from one of ALCO's steam locomotives #48011, built and completed in April, 1910., Below: Over its lifetime, ALCO built 90,000 locomotives, including 75,000 steam and 15,000 diesel locomotives for railroads the world over. Today, ALCO's patented designs are still being manufactured in India while many of its locomotives operate at railroads around the world., Main Image: Schenectady County Historical Society